I pour a glass of champagne and bring it back to the bathroom. My redheaded beauty stands exactly where I left her. She may not think she likes to hand over the reins in life, but she liked it just fine while I was guiding her ride. I take in every inch of her, stroking a hand down the curve of her heart shaped ass. “Turn around, Lacy.”
She does exactly as I ask. Perfection in every sense of the word. Her beauty is unsurpassed by anything I’ve ever seen. I could gaze at her forever, and that’s an awful damn long time. I hand her the drink and shrug out of my clothes, watching her eyes track my movement and get hazy as I undress. “How long has it been for you? Since you were with someone of importance?”
Lacy takes a sip of her drink, her eyes connecting with mine. “It’s been a while. I had a boyfriend. He had business in town and was supposed to relocate here, but a promotion came along, and he chose that and city life over me.” She shrugs. “I’ve had offers, but, you know, I don’t usually just jump into bed, or on a kitchen counter, with just anyone.”
I grin, and something about that makes me happier than it should. I turn off the water and get into the tub, taking her hand as she steps in with me. I slide into the water and guide her into a sitting position in front of me, pushing her mass of hair to one side as the bubbles float against the edge of the tub. She leans back against me, and I wrap my hand around her belly, caressing the silky skin. “What about you?” she asks. “What’s the other job that Kenny and Cole brought you here for?”
I sigh. “Now we come to the part of my life that I don’t expect most people to understand. When I was young, my parents weren’t around much. I grew up in a small town and used to get a ride to the racetrack at the edge of town. I would spend my time down at the track testing out the cars in between tune-ups and stuff. I’m a good driver. People took notice, and one of my friends at the time was working for a family who needed some product delivered fast. I needed the money, so I took the job. One job turned into two, and then three, and before it ended up in a two-year stent upstate, I made a switch.
Lacy hasn’t said a word. I don’t expect her or anyone else to understand the misguided mistakes of an eighteen-year-old, but her silence causes my heart to beat fast. “I should have told you before we got officially involved, but the subject didn’t come up. I thought I should bring it up before it goes much further.”
She leans back against me and her hair slides down my chest as she laces her fingers with mine.
“I’m working with a great group of people now. I’m not going to lie to you, it’s not like we don’t step over the line of the law if we need to protect one of the family, but that’s not our role. They have capos, enforcers, and soldiers for that. We protect them in their day-to-day life. We keep their girlfriends, wives, and children safe.”
“It sounds dangerous, but exciting. I knew all about you, before we slept together, Garrett Dean. Krissy filled me in on the past. You can’t change what happened back then, but you can change what you do with your life now. And look at what you’re doing? Helping people like me stand up for what’s right. Would you really have used those guns tonight?”
I don’t have to think about that for a minute. “If it meant saving your life? Hell yes, without one damn bit of hesitation. You need to know, that’s who I am. I won’t sit idly by and watch someone I care about get hurt regardless of the lines.”
Lacy turns in the water, puts her drink on the shelf by the tub, and straddles my lap. “And the job you plan on doing here as a wheelman? It’s legal?”
I inhale deeply. “It walks a fine line. I’m the one who’s going to make sure other rival families’ drugs aren’t coming into this town. The enforcers will take care of other things, but like I said, I can drive, and we need to keep them busy for a while. The Chicago mob won’t catch me until we want them to, and by then, they’ll wish they hadn’t.”
She gets on her knees and whispers in my ear, “Then take me for another ride, Garrett Dean.”